Saltwater pools are more than just making a small splash as a trend; they are here to stay. Experts estimate that over 50% of all new in-ground pool installations have this new technology, as well as a significant number of chlorine pools being converted to salt-water-systems yearly. Whether you are dipping your toes or want to dive headfirst into owning one, you should first assess your lifestyle and these key factors to see if this body of water is ideal for your home or business.

Is The Cost Too Deep?

Pools equipped with a salt chlorine generator system or automatic sanitizer systems are less costly long-term. To keep your pockets afloat, the salt never “disappears” from your pool once it is deposited. The initial installation cost of the salt is more expensive than chlorine, but over time the cost will sink significantly.

Installing a saltwater pool system can cost as much as two to four times that of a standard chlorine pool system. If you factor in the savings in chlorine pucks and similar chemicals, reduced maintenance and damage on the pool itself, a saltwater pool can pay for itself by the third year.

Did you know that you can convert your existing chlorine pool to saltwater with relative ease? Existing plumbing must be adapted to accommodate the special generator, which costs the approximate of three-years worth of chlorine pool chemicals.

Potential saltwater pool owners should know before installation, that salt is over time corrosive to pool fixtures and the interior of the pool itself. Pool fixtures such as ladders, coping, tile, decking and nearby furniture could be affected in the long run and may have to be replaced, despite it being only a small amount of salt. This is because pool fixtures oxidize over time when exposed to the electrolyzing process which occurs in a saltwater pool.

How to Keep Your Pool Afloat

Saltwater pools have simple and safer maintenance than traditional chlorine pools. This is because these new systems have eliminated harsh effects of handling, dispensing, storing and swimming in significant amounts of chemicals.

Chlorine pools use costly chlorine powder or tablets for sanitation, whereas saltwater pools produce their own via a chlorine generator cell. Saltwater pools use a much lower amount of chlorine as a disinfectant, which is supplied to the water through a generator. Instead of an erosion system, the generator uses a form of electrolysis to separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, then combine them with salt (sodium chloride) to form sodium hypochlorite (chlorine), it sterilizes the water.

This creation of chloride is constantly recombining with the sodium, becoming salt again. Since chlorine is a byproduct of the salt you add to the water, the chlorine is still present in the water. This is a continuous regenerating process with an initial application of chlorine and salt at the beginning of the season.

Also as chlorine levels fall in traditional pools, due to lack of strict maintenance and testing, the level of harmful by-products or chloramines from the disinfection process remains intact. But the free chlorine in saltwater pools break down these by products which are responsible for red itchy eyes, lung irritation and that smell often associated with chlorinated pools. Salt-water pools avoid the buildup of chloramines because the chlorine levels replenish themselves constantly and do not depend on pool owners or pool workers to add more chlorine to the water as needed.

While traditional pools require you to add chlorine and other chemicals regularly to keep them clean, saltwater pools have a separate chlorine generator that produces natural chlorine from salt. After sanitizing the water, the chlorine converts back to salt before it re-enters the pool.

The maintenance is adjusted no more than once or twice a season at most. However, more rain will dilute the amount of salt in the pool. Other maintenance required is monitoring the pH and testing chlorine levels regularly. Regarding the amount of actual salt to an ocean, these pools contain only 1/10 the concentration of salt to ocean water and more similar to that of a teardrop.

Refreshing News: It’s Good For Your Health

A saltwater pool’s positive pH has a more natural feel without the irritation. Without large harsh amounts of chlorine deposits, your hair, skin and nails will feel softer and your eyes will not be as irritated or red. That normal pool water smell and taste will also essentially be eliminated. With dramatically less fading and bleaching of your bathing suit color.

Health-wise allergy sufferers and swimmers with sensitive lungs and asthma, will be able to enjoy their pool experience. Saltwater pools are also more ecologically friendly by eliminating a large amount of harsh chemicals that chlorine pools use.